Railroad-tie.



PATBNTBD JULY 10, 1906.

J. E. SMITH. RAILROAD TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 14. 1905. RENEWED NOV. 17. 1905.

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UNITED STATE I A1 IENT orrron...

JACOB E. SMITH, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN R ,BY DIlEtECfIT v AND MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO- PENNSYLVANIA; STEEL TIE COMPANY, OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.t'atented July 10, 1906;

Toall whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing atHomestead, in; the county of Allegheny and State.

of'Pennsylvania, have invented a Railroad- Tie, ofwhichthe following is a full andexact specification.

This, invention relates .to railroad-ties, and

more especially to that class of such, ties which; aremadeentirely of metal.

It is Well known thatrailroad-ties constructedof metal possess many advantages over theordinary wooden ties, and therefore many attempts have been made to provide a metal tie. that would meet all the requirements of .a perfect tie without adding mate rially to the expense as compared with the wooden tie. So far as I am aware such attempts have been unsuccessful, inasmuch as theyhave failed to produce a light and cheap device that will properly grip the roadebedand'givethe requiredbearing-surfacefor the rails.

Myinvention therefore, contemplates the provision of a metal railroad-tie which; is.

cheap and simple in construction, light in weig 1 grip-or hold on theroad-bed to prevent longitudinal or lateral dis lacement and also providea wide bearing or properly supporting the rails.

In connectionwith my improved tie I employ attaching means for the .rails especially adapted thereto.

My invention consists, primarily, of a metal railroad-tie made of. an angle-beam, the ends of which beam are bent upon themselves to providewider bearings for .both the tie itself:

and the rails which are supported thereby.

My invention further consists in the particular formation of the metal tie and in the t, and when in use will provide. a firm.

g' e s Fig. 3 isadetail endview of-the, tie,'slightly-enla rg ed, with theend ofethetie 5 5 broken away toshow therail-securing means. Fig. 4. is adetail perspective View of one oftherail-clamping members. Fig. 5 is a de.-. tail. view ofithe washer. which is interposed betweenthe rail-clamping members.v Fig.6. 6C is a plan View of a modification of,=the. tie

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, ofthedrawings I haveillustrated the. preferred form of con; struction, in .whichwthe letter A designates the. tie, and in this instance the said tie is formed from an angl'eebeam, preferably L shaped in cross-section, such as commonly employed in metal construction Work. A suitablelengthof such beam isemployed, andthe ends arebent ,orrolled toprovide,a .loop,, as a, ateach end of. the tie, and so that the lower flange. a will projectioutwardly with; respect-to the loo asshown. Byishapingi the ordinary angle-beam in this manneriam enabled to-producea tie whichinusewill; 7 5 possess. the required stability and all'i the other .requisites. of a ractical :tie, inasmuch; asby turning the en s intothe forn1,of --;op posingloopswith the base-flanges thereof. extending outwardithe endsofathe tie, will have considerable bearing and holding. ca; pacity'in theroad-bedyand the upper-edges, of the. loop portionsubeing spaced, apart will provide. a wide bearing fortherails. Thus it ispossible to. produce a metal =tie.of, light and .simpleconstruction, and consequently cheap, with the ends which. in usereceive the greatest strain properly. reinforced and braced for. all purposes. 1

Ashcrein shown, the loops. whicharc. formed attnoonds of the tie are open at theirinner ends and present parallel. verticalwalls which are. adapted. to. receive trio. rail-securing meanshereinafter described, and in. the application of the. tie. the. material forming 5 the road-bed'completelyembeds the same, being.tamped on bota sidesand in'the oppo-.,. site loops, the particularshape. ofthe latter, providing afirm hold and bearing to prevent. either longitudinal or lateral movement 0t 10 the tie. To further increasetheholding.ca; pacity of. the tie, I'imay and preferably do stamp. from the. base-flange a of, said tie a number of lugs or.-projections a adapted to. enter the ground or. road-bed.

It is ob vious that the shapeof the-tie when.

constructed of angle-beam, as herein proposed, may be varied and still retain the fea ture of the looped ends, a modification being suggested in Fig. 6, wherein a beam A, hav ing opposite base-flanges, is employed and the loops a disposed at opposite sides instead of one side only, as in the form heretofore described. In this modification a portion of one of the base-flanges, as a is necessarily cut away to permit the loop to be formed with the vertical walls a of said loop approximately close together, said walls being parallel to receive the rail-securing means.

In connection with the peculiar construction of tie hereinbefore described I provide particular means for attaching or securing the rails thereto. Such means comprise a pair of oppositely-disposed clamping members B B, the jaws b, which engage the rails, being enlarged laterally at the outer side to form shoulders I), which latter rest upon the upper edge of the tie when said clamping members are clamped on the rails. The lower orbodyportion b of each clampingmember is provided with bolt-holes b and b the bolt-hole being slightly elongated for the purpose hereinafter explained. The boltholes in the companion clamping members are adapted to aline with each other, respec tively, and with corresponding bolt-holes a, and a in the loop portion of the tie. Through the registering bolt-holes b and a passes an ordinary bolt C, and through the elongated bolt-holes b and a passes a wedge-shaped bolt 0, the latter being employed to bind the clamping members on the rails and hold the latter rigidly in place. These bolts C and C are each provided with the usual nut, as c.

The clamping members B when applied are located in the loop portion of the tie and are held against the vertical sides of the same with the shoulders I) resting on the tie by means of a washer, as C interposed therebetween, though obviously if the loop was narrower such washer would not be required. The jaws b of the clamping members are shaped to properly engage the base-flange and web of the usual type of railroad rail S at opposite sides thereof, and in applying the bolts to connect the parts the wedge-bolt is driven in or drawn tightly by its nut, so as to rigidly clamp the rails, as before stated.

Where a guide-rail, as S, Fig. 6, is to be used in connection with the running-rail, a block, as D, is interposed between said rails, and in this instance one clamping member, as B is located on the outer side of the running-rail S, while a second clamping member, as B is located on the opposite or inner side of the guide-rail S. The block D and clamping member B are preferably bifurcated, so as to straddle the vertical flange of the tie, and are held in place by the bolts (1 and b, respectively. Between the rail and tie is placed a wear-plate a extending across the loop and seated in recesses'inthe" edges thereof.

The construction of tie and rail securing,

means hereinbefore described provides a firm support for the rails and effectually prevents spreading or shifting of the same, inasmuch as the retaining jaws are strongly made and securely connected to the tie,'

loops not only serves to more eifectually increase the holding capacity of the tie with relation to the road-bed, but also makes it convenient in manipulating the rail-securing means, as well as in filling around the tie after the latter has been properly set.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A metal railroad-tie the ends of which are formed into loops having vertical parallel walls and lateral base-flanges.

2. A metal railroad-tie the ends of which are formed into loops open at their inner ends, said loops having vertical walls and lateral base-flanges.

3. A metal railroad-tie comprising a bar or beam L shape in cross-section and bent upon itself at its ends forming loops with vertical walls and lateral base-flanges.

4. Ametal railroad-tie the same comprising a bar or beam L shape in cross-section and bent upon itself at its ends forming openended loops with vertical walls, the lateral flange of the bar forming the base-flange of the tie. v

5. A metal railroad-tie, comprising an angle-bar providing vertical and lateral members and formed at its ends into loops with the lateral member or flange projecting outwardly with respect to said loops.

6. A metal railroad-tie the same comprising a bar or beam' L shape in cross-section and provided on the lower lateral flange with lugs stamped therefrom, said bar or beam being bent upon itself at its ends forming open-ended loops with parallel vertical walls, the lateral flange of the bar or beam forming the base-flange of the tie.

7. In ametal railroad-tie, the combination, of a bar or beam the ends of which are bent in the form of loops having parallel vertical wvalls, clamping members located in the loops between said vertical walls and adapted to clamp the rails, and means for securing the clamping members in such engagement.

8. In a metal railroad-tie, the combination,

of an angle bar or beam the ends of which are formed into loops having parallel vertical walls, clamping members for the rails located in the loops between the parallel walls thereof and having shoulders resting thereon, and se curing means for the clamping members.

9. In a railroad-tie, the combination, of an angle-beam the ends of which are formed into loops having parallel vertical walls, clamping members for the rails located in the loops be tween the vertical walls thereof and having shoulders adapted to rest thereon, a washer inserted between the clamping members, and securing-bolts passed through the clamping members, washer and tie, substantially as shown and described.

10. In a railroad-tie, the combination, of an angle-beam the ends of which are formed into loops having parallel vertical walls with bolt-holes therethrough, clamping members for the rails located in the loops between the vertical walls thereof, said clamping members having bolt -holes one of which is elongated, and securing bolts one of which is wedge-shaped.

11. In a railroad-tie, the combination with the tie formed of an angle-beam with loops at the ends of the tie, said loops having vertical parallel walls, of clamping members located in the loops between the parallel walls thereof, said clamping members having lateral shoulders adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the tie, a washer interposed between the clamping members, and securing-bolts passed through the tie and clamping members.

12. In a railroad-tie, the combination with the tie formed of an angle-beam bent to rovide loops at the ends of the tie, such oop portions havin bolt-holes, clamping members located in t e loop portions of the tie and having bolt-holes corresponding with the aforesaid bolt-holes in the tie, shoulders projecting laterally from said clamping mem ers and adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the loop portions of the tie, a washer interposed between the clamping members, and a plain bolt and a wedge-shaped bolt for securing the clamping members to the rails.

13. In a railroad-tie, the combination with the tie formed of an angle-beam bent to provide loops at the ends of the tie, said tie having bolt-holes, clampin members adapted to engage the rails, a blOGIi adapted to be interposed between the running-rail and guiderail, and bolts for securing the clamping members and block in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

R. J. BEALL, Jr., H S. BEALL. 

